The present invention relates to a surgical needle holder and particularly to a surgical needle holder provided with a releasable locking mechanism for a surgical needle to be retained in the holder.
Surgical needles mounted in specially designed holders are used in medical practice in the areas of for example hair removal by electrolysis such as during ophthalmic treatment, and certain aspects of cosmetic surgery.
Handling and disposal is important in the use of surgical needles both from the point of view of the health of the patient and the user.
There are various types of surgical needle holders in use at the present time. In one variant the surgical needle is held to the electrically conducting core of the needle holder by means of a mechanism operating in the manner of a drill chuck and in another in the manner of a propelling pencil.
The first arrangement, during mounting and disposal, necessitates far too much handling of the surgical needle to be acceptable while in the second arrangement the mechanism is not capable of holding the needle in the holder as firmly and positively to the extent required so that amongst other things electrical contact between the needle and the core of the holder is compromised.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the invention there is provided a surgical needle holder comprising an insulated electrically conducting support body for mounting a surgical needle, a passageway in the body for insertion of the needle shank, and releasable locking means in the passageway for locking the needle shank therein, and in electrical contact with the support body.
Preferably the locking means is in the form of a pivotal locking plate mounted in the support body and provided with an aperture for receiving the needle shank in one pivotal position of the locking plate when the shank is inserted in the passageway in the support body. The locking plate is biased to a normally held second pivotal position whereat the plate locks onto the needle shank around the plate aperture to secure the needle shank in the passageway.
Advantageously the locking plate is biased to the normally held second pivotal position by means of a coiled spring housed in the support body.